Optimize News Feed Retargeting for the Holidays

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Today’s post is by Jonathan Lau, Content and Marketing Manager at AdRoll.

Though the outdoor barbeque/pool party/shorts season ended a few weeks ago and the back-to-school rush seems like just yesterday, many advertisers have already solidified their holiday marketing plans and have begun rolling out their initiatives. According to the National Retail Federation, 6 out of 10 retailers start holiday promotions before Halloween. And while Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” on repeat over the next three months might make you want to tear down your holiday lights early, businesses will be laughing all the way to the bank if their strategies pay off. ComScore reported a 14% increase in online holiday shopping spending over the last year, from $37.2 billion in 2011 to $42.3 billion in 2012.

It should then come as no surprise when I say retargeting should be a focus of every marketer’s holiday strategy, especially when 98% of visitors don’t convert on their first website visit. This holiday season, however, I’m going to say something a little different—retargeting in Facebook’s News Feed should be a requirement for every marketer. Because, when it comes to retargeting, 2013 will forever be known as the year of the News Feed.

Launched in May, retargeting in Facebook’s News Feed has been a game-changer for marketers. Besides serving front-and-center in Facebook’s most prominent location, retargeted ads in the News Feed offer a high-quality, engaging advertising experience. It’s also impossible to ignore Facebook’s trademark like, share, and comment buttons underneath each retargeted News Feed that increase engagement and improve social sharing of the units.

– Don’t be Normal: It’s common to target recent site visitors, like those who’ve visited in the last 30 days. During the holiday season, expand your cookie pool to target customers who might have browsed your products two or even three months ago.

– Take Advantage of the Spotlight: Facebook’s News Feed is the reason billions of users log into the platform each month. Take advantage of the spotlight and highlight sales, seasonal items, and/or buy-one-get-one-free offers to entice potential customers to convert.

– Encourage Engagement: News Feed ads benefit from Facebook’s built-in social sharing. Encourage likes, shares, and comments in ad copy to broaden your ad’s reach to friends of friends. It’s also a great way to start a discussion about product features and benefits.

-Prior to joining AdRoll, Jonathan Lauspent almost two years at Google, helping Canadian businesses and agencies develop and execute their digital marketing strategy. He possesses a rich understanding of the online advertising ecosystem, consultative selling, and customer service.

About the author

3Q Digital

2 Responses to Optimize News Feed Retargeting for the Holidays

Do you recommend having visitors be sent back to the product page or just the home page for your re-targeting strategies?
My website http://www.bombtechgolf.com is unique in the fact that we essentially only sell one main product, a custom golf driver.
So I wonder what you think is more effective for re-targeting URL.
Thanks.
Sully

Hello,
I want to know to setup the re-targeting in face book. I don’t know what is the option use to set this up and we need special market tool for this.
I m really confused about this, Plz help me if know how to do this.